Leopard scalps man during deadly attack in India

A wild full grown leopard scalps the head of a man as it attacks after wandering into a residential neighborhood in Gauhati, India, Jan. 7. The leopard ventured into a crowded area, killing one and injuring four others before it was captured and caged.

Manas Paran, a local newspaper photographer, recounted the attack. After mauling a cook (who had part of his scalp torn off, seen in these pictures), the leopard jumped walls and wandered to other homes in the crowded neighborhood. At one point Paran saw a man chasing the leopard with a metal rod. Despite his warnings, the man continued and then the leopard attacked.

“I was worried that it would turn on me. My heart was thumping and hands were shaking; I was terrified,” Paran told the Telegraph.

Wildlife officials eventually tranquilized the leopard and planned to release it at a wildlife park 120 miles west of the city home to around 1 million.

The world greets a new year, a tea party supporter exits the Iowa caucuses, presidential candidate Mitt Romney gets advice and support from a past nominee, a man and his birds are saved from a Los Angeles arson and more.